Who explicitly requests the ordering of computed tomography for emergency department patients? A multicenter prospective study.

Emergency department (ED) computed tomography (CT) use has increased substantially in recent years, resulting in increased radiation exposure for patients. Few studies have assessed which parties contribute to CT ordering in the ED. The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of CT scans ordered due to explicit requests by various stakeholders in ED patient care.

Time to antivenom administration is not associated with total antivenom dose administered in a copperhead-predominant snakebite population.

Objectives: To prevent unnecessary antivenom administration in crotaline snakebite, observation for progression is recommended for the patient with minor envenomation whose condition is stable and not progressing. The objective of this study was to determine the association between the time from bite to initial antivenom administration (Time(AV)) and the total amount of antivenom administered (Total(AV)) and to determine what proportion of patients did not have progression of the envenomation syndrome and did not receive antivenom.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of patients presenting with crotaline snakebite within 24 hours from 2009 through 2012.